★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™

Monday, August 6, 2012

Queen Underwood Falls to Home Nation Hero Natasha Jonas in Historic Action at the 2012 Olympic Games‏

The day women’s boxing advocates have been awaiting for years finally arrived on Sunday, but it ended differently than American lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) had hoped. Underwood became the first American female boxer ever to compete in the Olympic Games in afternoon action at the ExCel Centre, but she dropped her Olympic debut to Great Britain’s Natasha Jonas.

All three women’s weight classes opened Olympic Games action on Sunday with four preliminary bouts in each weight division. Underwood faced Jonas in the first lightweight contest of the day in front of a full house at the ExCel Centre. Jonas entered the ring to a loud and raucous crowd that roared with each punch she threw. Underwood opened the bout well, managing to block out the crowd and press the British boxer. Her efforts were successful in the first two minutes, and she took a 4-3 lead after one round.

Yet, Jonas managed to steal the lead in the second round to the delight of her hometown supporters. Underwood fell further behind in the second round as the longer and rangier Jonas built her advantage to a 13-9 margin with two minutes of action remaining. The American boxer came out swinging in the fourth round, trying to make up four-point deficit but she couldn’t overcome it and Jonas won a 21-13 final decision.

“I got comfortable in the first round, I was going to her and she was a little bit flat. I was winning on points after the first round but it changed a little in the second round. She kind of sat back and boxed me and I had to come forward,” Underwood said. “I was down one point after the second round and I kind of felt that it wasn’t working going forward the way I was so I just wanted to go for her after that.”

The remaining two U.S. female boxers will open their tournament action on Monday following first round byes. Flyweight Marlen Esparza(Houston, Texas) will face Venezuela’s Karlha Magliocco while middleweight Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) battles Anna Laurell of Sweden. Male welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) will return to the ring on Tuesday in quarterfinal action.

U.S. Result

132 lbs/60 kg: Natasha Jonas, GBR, dec. Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA, 21-13

Queen Underwood Quotes

“I filled a spot that somebody could have had but I gave away half my life for this and it just doesn’t feel like the reward of being here is enough. I just wish and hope that the fans and people who have been there and my family can believe the journey was enough and I’m a champion regardless of the decision. That’s where it ends with me is being a champion and pushing for it since I didn’t get the gold medal here.”

“I really feel that I didn’t have any chance being down and against the home crowd. If I would have sat back and tried to play games and chess match this, it would have looked like I wasn’t aggressive enough and I didn’t want that. It would probably have been a lower scoring fight because it would have been a slower pace but I wanted to show everybody that I’m going to do all I can do in there. I don’t like being down and I guess it kind of bothered me a little bit, being down after being up.”

“I didn’t feel like they were clean shots in there. I felt hooks behind the head, like more of a push than a scoring blow. As you could see I was little off balance. I just didn’t let the score to affect my work ethic in the ring so that’s why I just went forward.”

I didn’t have a choice (on starting to box young). When I picked up the sport, I was already older. I can’t take back the years, you just get older and older. If the Olympics were in 2008, I would have been a little younger. I think its good that a lot of younger women are picking up the sport at a younger age but I picked it up a little later and stuck around just to have this chance and I didn’t want to throw it away. I wanted to get to the highest level. I guess this is the end of my journey in the amateurs, being here.”

“I’ll support Katie Taylor in my weight class because I’m not in it anymore. I was looking forward to that rematch. I wanted to get in there with her. That was really my motivation for this fight. It wasn’t the gold yet, it was to get to that rematch with Katie Taylor but now I get to cheer her on, I know she’s gonna bring home the gold.”

“I’m going to keep fighting but I got here to the Olympics this time. “I don’t think it’s in me to stick around for four years. I did what I had to do, I waited around for four years for it to be an Olympic sport. I think its time for me to move on to a new chapter in my life. Now, its time to focus on something else.”

“I can beat anybody. I believe that I didn’t have the mindset going into this fight that I was going to lose. I always tell myself that I can do anything that I set my mind to for this tactic, this opponent and this bout. You just have to be in that moment. It’s a bit harder with a home crowd and you can’t let that get to you. They said I was ahead and once I was down that point, I felt that it was working against me, what I was doing. When I tried otherwise, it kept drawing me further and further apart. Sometimes you saw me in there throwing that big haymaker, I wanted to say that I tried. I wanted that to land it because that would have been awesome.”

I hope a lot of young boxers coming up are watching this. They can pick and choose who their role model is but for the sport of boxing, it’s not about looking at and saying I wanted to do that. It’s about actually doing it and sticking to it. There are a lot of people that can play a game and be on and off with it but boxing’s full time.

If you slack off, that can set you back for a year. That was the key to me moving forward. I never let myself take a break, I never let myself rest and now I think I’m due for a bit of a break. I’m tired, this has been one hell of a journey. Ever since winning a championship in 2007, I just stuck with boxing and made this my first priority over friends, family and a normal life. I’m ready just to rest and cheer on the upcoming women and focus on a future for myself.”

“History doesn’t mean anything to me. The gold medal meant more. This is history for Queen Underwood and amateur boxing. It’s a big moment for up and coming boxers, but for me to set high goals for myself, I don’t think just getting here was enough for me. Being a part of history wasn’t enough for me. I don’t look at just being an Olympian as great. I think bringing home a medal would be great. I know a lot of people look and me and say, ‘hey, you did good.’ I’m going to take this home and later on, say I did good. I will always say I could have done more because that’s just how it is.

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Women make history‏

Olympic history was re-written today at the ExCeL Arena as women's boxing made its long-awaited debut at the Games in a watershed moment for the sport. During the afternoon session of day nine of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the world was introduced to the three Women's weight categories, Flyweight (51kg), Lightweight (60kg) and Middleweight (75kg).

2010 AIBA World Champion and 2011 European Champion Elena Savelyeva from Russia got proceedings underway in the first of the Women's Flyweight (51kg) contests versus the People's Democratic Republic of Korea's 27-year-old Hye Song Kim. It was Savelyeva, a bronze medallist at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Qinhunangdao 2012, who got the better of the first round with a big right hand the difference at the interval. The Russian edged the second with a solid left hook and took the third with a sweet uppercut. In the final round, the points were shared as she progressed to the quarter-finals with a 12:9 win. 28-year-old Savelyeva will now face top seed and reigning AIBA World Champion Cancan Ren from China.

It was fast and furious in the second bout of the day as Brazilian southpaw Erica Matos went head to head with Karlha Magliocco. It was the Venezuelan who began well as she landed several good hooks to take the first. 29-year-old Matos turned the tide in the second, cornering her opponent and unleashing some good connecting combinations. This unpredictable contest then saw 2010 Panamerican Champion Magliocco regain the initiative as the orthodox fighter dominated the third to take a slender point advantage going into the final round. In the fourth, both fighters went for it and the crowd were up on their feet as punches were thrown from all directions, but it was the Venezuelan who prevailed 15:14 to set-up a meeting with Marlen Esparza of the USA in the last eight.

Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte, also known as Mary Kom, the five-time AIBA Pinweight (46kg) World Champion who went up two weight categories in order to qualify for these Olympic Games, brought the house down as she made her entrance into the ring. The Indian icon faced tough Karolina Michalczuk of Poland in what promised to be an enthralling encounter. The diminutive Kom was conceding a lot reach and height to her opponent and had to use her superior technique and shot making skills in order to not be charged down by the continually onrushing Michalczuk. It was a real clash of styles and after sharing the first round, Kom managed to land a couple of good hooks to edge the second. In the third, the 29-year-old mother of two from India was getting to grips with her aggressive rival and was starting to land more and more punches, a huge left one of the highlights of round three. The spectators were treated to a sumptuous final round as Kom held on to record a 19:14 victory as she held back tears when announced as the winner.

An emotional Mary Kom said after her win, "This is a fantastic day, it is unbelievable for me to be here, very special. I have been fighting twelve years to get to this point, to be at the Olympic Games. It has been my life-long ambition to get here. My victory is very emotional because not only as am I finally here but it is also my twins' fifth birthday today and I am missing it. This win is a gift to them".

In the last of the Flyweight (51kg) bouts, Bulgaria's Stoyka Petrova battled Siona Fernandesfrom New Zealand in an excellent contest between two top boxers. The 26-year-old Bulgarian made her experience count as she slowly wore down her opponent, scoring more and more as the rounds went by to move into the quarter-finals with a convincing 23:11 win.

The crowd went wild for the first of the Lightweight (60kg) fights as Natasha Jonas of Great Britain made her big entrance alongside the USA's Quanitta 'Queen' Underwood. The powerful orthodox American began on the front foot, using her jab to great effect as she edged the first. The pace was unrelenting as both boxers traded punches, but a great right hook in the second saw the 28-year-old Brit take the round. Jonas began to exert more authority to dominate her rival and scored heavily in the third. A strong left followed by some good combinations in the fourth ensured the local favourite took the round and the victory. There were wild celebrations from Jonas as she was declared the winner 21:13. The British orthodox fighter now faces top seed, quadruple AIBA World Champion Katie Taylor in the quarter-finals.

26-year-old 2010 AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Cheng Dong from China and Romanian orthodox Mihaela Lacatus were pretty well matched in most departments, with the same build and the same reach. There was not much to separate the two on paper however Dong was out of the blocks much quicker and caught the experienced 30-year-old Romanian, who had come out of retirement to qualify for these Olympic Games, with several good shots in the first round. The points were then shared in rounds two and three with both unable to find a breakthrough. The Chinese stepped it up in the closing stages to wrap up a 10:5 win. She will now test herself against Tajikistan's Asian Champion Mavzuna Chorieva for a place in the semi-finals.

The showdown between Brazil's Adriana Araujo and Saida Khassenova of Kazakhstan was a contest out of the top drawer with both boxers really going at each other. Khassenova began well but then 31-year-old multiple-Panamerican Champion Araujo slowly picked her opponent apart with more effective punches in the latter stages. In the end, the Brazilian went on to win the bout 16:14 and she will now meet Morocco's Mahjouba Oubtil.

In the last Lightweight (60kg) contest, tall New Zealander Alexis Pritchard faced 31-year-oldRim Jouini of Tunisia. 28-year-old orthodox Pritchard used her jab well in the first round before scoring with some good one-twos to edge it. Jouini came back in the second and upped her work rate, cornering her opponent and unleashing a couple of hard straights to take the round. Pritchard dominated the final two rounds in style, turning it on when she needed to most, with the charismatic Kiwi progressing into the quarter final stages with a well-taken 15:10 victory.

The Middleweights (75kg) were in action next as Kazak Marina Volnova locked horns with 26-year-old Elizabeth Andiego. It was a tour de force by the orthodox Volnova, moving well and looking to land with that deft left hook of hers. Her Kenyan rival struggled throughout with the accuracy of her shots and Volnova confidently won the bout 20:11 after taking each round.

Experienced 32-year-old Swede Anna Laurell battled hard against Naomi-Lee Fischer-Rasmussen, using her reach to throw good hard one-twos. The Australian 26.year-old showed huge heart and determination to try and move inside in order to score points but the Swedish star was clever and countered well to win each round. Laurell advancing to the quarter-finals with a bruising 24:17 win. She will now meet US teenage sensation Claressa Shields.

2008 World Champion Jinzi Li of China started well against the 23-year-old Brazilian Roseli Feitosa, using her power to great effect as she threw some big punches in each round. There was a quality comeback by Feitosa in the final round but unfortunately after losing the first three, it was too late as Li claimed a 19:14 victory.

The President of Azerbaijan was in the stands to lend his support to Elena Vystropova in her contest with Edith Ogoke. The Nigerian 21-year-old sprung a huge surprise as he ferocious attacks had Vystropova on the back foot in the first two round, landing some thunderous shots to take both by two points. The experienced Azeri gathered her senses in the third and started to box well with her superior technique clawing back her deficit from four to one point coming into the final round. Ogoke defied the odds as she stood firm and won the contest 14:12.

The evening session will see both the Men's Bantamweight (56kg) and Heavyweight (91kg) quarter-finals take place with a podium finished guaranteed for the winners.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Global boxing legend Lennox Lewis named newest Laureus Ambassador‏

Former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis has become the newest Laureus Ambassador.

He was welcomed to the Laureus Family by Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses, both in London attending the Olympic Games.

Lennox Lewis, who won 41 of his 44 fights, said: “I am delighted to be named a Laureus Ambassador and would like to thank the members of the Laureus Academy for asking me. I have enjoyed attending the Laureus World Sports Awards and earlier this year I was able to visit a community sports project in the heart of London and meet some of the kids who were benefiting from the Laureus connection.

“Through my support for Laureus, I have witnessed what a huge impact sport can have on communities around the world. I was very impressed by the young people I met. It just goes to show that when they are given guidance and support, they can turn their lives around and become positive role models for society. I am testament to that, as sport enabled me to turn my life around. I look forward to be being able to do what I can to help in the future."

Lennox Lewis was the dominant heavyweight boxer of the 1990s and the early years of the 2000s. He is currently the most recent undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, having united all versions of the title. Throughout his professional career, Lewis suffered just two losses, both of which he avenged in re-matches, both by knock-out. He was also an Olympic gold-medal winner for Canada in 1988.

Edwin Moses said: "On behalf of the Laureus Academy, we are delighted to welcome Lennox as a Laureus Ambassador. Lennox is a giant of sport, an undusputed world heavyweight champion and a real gentleman. His achievements in his career have been massive, but he remains modest and considerate and he believes passionately in the responsibility of the greatest sportsmen and women to give something back to society.

“You only have to be with Lennox anywhere in the world to realise how popular he is and the respect in which he is held. In what can be a tough sport, he always showed integrity and stood for honesty and decency. It will be great to have him working with us at Laureus.”

Lewis was born in London to Jamaican-born parents and moved to Kitchener in Ontario in 1977 when he was 12. He became an outstanding amateur boxer, winning the world junior heavyweight title in 1983 and the Olympic gold medal in Seoul five years later, where he beat future world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in the final.

He turned professional in 1989, winning his first 21 fights. In 1992 he knocked out Donovan Ruddock to become No 1 in the World Boxing Council rankings and he was eventually declared champion a year later. Although he lost the title to Oliver McCall in 1994, he won it back from him in a re-match in 1997. He became undisputed world champion after defeating Evander Holyfield in November 1999.

The most celebrated fight in which Lewis took part came in June 2002, when he defended his title against Mike Tyson. The fight was anticipated as a classic between Tyson’s brawling style and Lewis’ more skilful approach. In the end it turned out to be a one-sided confrontation as Lewis used his jab and superior reach to score a dominant eighth round knock-out victory over ‘Iron Mike’. The fight was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history at the time, generating US$106.9 million.

Lewis eventually announced his retirement in February 2004. When he left the ring, his record was 41 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 32 wins by knockout

The Laureus Ambassadors are a select group of current and retired sportsmen and sportswomen, who, along with the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation uses sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, gun and knife violence, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, lack of education, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €55 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people. It currently supports more than 100 community sports projects in 34 countries.

PruHealth is the Country Patron of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in the United Kingdom.

Imperious Lomachenko‏

It was the second round of preliminaries for the Men's Lightweights (60kg) and Middleweights (75kg) in the afternoon session of the sixth day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The packed ExCeL arena was once again treated to some top-class action.

It was a sensational start to the day with the first of the Lightweight (60kg) bouts seeing 24-year-old Vasyl Lomachenko, the top seed in the draw, against the Dominican Republic'sWellington Arias Romero. Widely considered the best pound for pound Olympic boxer, the Ukrainian was just a cut above his opponent, effortlessly moving across the canvas, biding his time before picking his spots. A great mover, Lomachenko, the two-time AIBA World Champion, was being economical with his shots but when he did let fly, he was so accurate, a sweet left uppercut in the first round typifying that. Just to prove class, just as the round came to a close, he threw a one-two combination to the body before unleashing a right uppercut that caught Arias Romero square in the jaw. It continued like that in the remaining two rounds as the Ukrainian eased into the next round with a 15:3 win.

The action continued with Tunisia's Ahmed Mejri battling it out with the orthodox Puerto RicanFelix Verdejo Sanchez in a very entertaining contest. Verdejo Sanchez was using his reach, moving well before pouncing with some good hooks as he took the first and second rounds in style. The same shots continued to be very effective in the final round as the 22-year-old from Puerto Rico booked his place for the quarter-finals where he will face the supreme Lomachenko after winning 16:7.

The contest between Kazakhstan's AIBA World Championships bronze medallist Gani Zhailauov and Jai Bhagwan began fast and furiously with two quick operators going head-to-head. The Kazak's footwork was just sensational as he danced around his opponent, looking to land the big overhead. The taller Indian's defences were tight however and he was able to soak up the pressure before waiting for the perfect opportunity to land those hard right hands as he took the first. The nimble orthodox Zhailauov changed tack in the second and used much more variation in his punches and he got instant results as his rival was unable to cope with his speed as he scored heavily. In the third, the Kazak continued to dictate proceedings again to claim a 16:8 victory.

Cuban fourth seed Yasnier Toledo Lopez, silver medallist at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011, took time to get into his stride against China's Qiang Liu in the last Lightweight (60kg) contest of the session. Tentative in the first, the 21-year-old southpaw from Cuba was showing a lot of respect for his opponent who had looked very accomplished in his previous fight. Liu was standing firm to the unrelenting attacks of Toledo Lopez but the Cuban did enough to take the bout 14:10 and set up a meeting with Zhailauov in the next phase of the competition.

With several members of the Royal Family attending, including the Duke of Edinburgh, the much anticipated Middleweight (75kg) showdown between Great Britain's Anthony Ogogoand the AIBA World Champion and top seed in the draw Ievgen Khytrov of Ukraine had the raucous crowd up on their feet from the first bell. 23-year-old Ogogo started off positively, throwing the jab then looking to land with the straight right on several occasions, a good left hook and a precise uppercut saw him take the first round. The long arms of the Brit were giving him good protection as the Ukrainian looked to land those body shots, then with another good left hook, he seemed get the upper hand but Khytrov came back with a right, and in the blink of an eye Ogogo had taken two standing eight counts in the closing stages of the second round. A sensational third saw the two boxers go toe-to-toe for three minutes with both trading a high volume of power punches. On count back, it was the British orthodox fighter who went through on count-back.

Ogogo was delighted after the win, declaring, "You have to believe in yourself and I certainly believed I could win. The Olympic Games are meant to inspire and I know I was inspired".

Stefan Härtel of Germany was brilliant against Irish team captain Darren O'Neill, the European Championships silver medallist, working the body early on and showing real intent throughout the three rounds. Both boxers played their part in a scintillating contest but the desire of the German 24-year-old ensured he progressed 19:12 to meet Ogogo for a place in the semi-finals.

"It was very hard but we were well prepared for that. I had sparred with him a few months ago. The victory was deserved. I am now one win away from a medal and I want it", said Härtel after his success.

Then the crowds were treated to a professional performance by Hungary's Zoltan Harcsawhich saw the 20-year-old orthodox dominate the powerful Namibian Mujandjae Kasuto from the first bell, using his superior technique throughout their encounter. The Youth Olympic Games bronze medallist had too much for his African rival, seamlessly landing every punch he threw as he recorded an emphatic 16:7 win.

The final bout of the evening saw tough Esquiva Falcao Florentino confirm his status as a gold medal contender with a quality performance against Soltan Migitinov of Azerbaijan. The Brazilian orthodox AIBA World Championships bronze medallist showed great tactical awareness as he constantly moved around the tough Azeri to outpoint his rival in each round and cruise to a 24:11 victory. Esquiva Falcao will now meet Zoltan Harcsa with a guaranteed bronze medal awaiting the winner.

The evening session of the sixth day of competition with see the final bouts of the second round of Lightweight (60kg) and Middleweights (75kg) categories with the winners moving into the quarter-finals.

The United States’ Jose Ramirez and Terrell Gausha Fall Short at the 2012 Olympic Games‏

The U.S. Olympic Boxing Team was unable to end its losing streak on Thursday following two closely contested losses in second round action at the 2012 Olympic Games. Lightweight Jose Ramirez’s (Avenal, Calif.) slow start cost him with Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov while middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) dropped a one-point heartbreaker to former Olympic medalist Vijender of India.

Ramirez took the ring first, looking to add to his win total at the 2012 Olympic Games. Yet Gaibnazarov was more active in the first round and the Uzbekistani boxer took a 6-2 lead after the first round. Ramirez picked up his output in the second round, particularly late in the round but faced a 12-5 deficit with three minutes remaining in the bout. Ramirez wasted no time getting started in the third round, firing shots from bell-to-bell but his late efforts weren’t enough and he dropped a 15-11 final decision. The loss eliminates Ramirez from the 2012 Olympic Games.

“I came out strong in the third. I always have good conditioning but my slow start hurt. At the end, in the last round I tried to throw more punches, I know he was tired. I knew he didn’t have that much left. He just fought the smarter fight,” Ramirez said.

Less than an hour later, Gausha stepped through the ropes for his second bout of the Olympic Games against Indian star Vijender. The opening round was a tactical match-up between the two skilled boxers and Vijender took a slim 4-3 lead. Gausha showcased his strong right hand and jab in the second, hoping to claim the lead in the bout, but Vijender maintained his one-point lead. The bout went into the final round up for grabs and the two boxers battled it out for the victory with several exciting exchanges highlighting the last three minutes. However only one could be named the victor and at the end of nine minutes of action, it was Vijender’s hand whose hand was raised. He pulled out a 16-15 decision over Gausha to end the American middleweight’s run at gold.

“I knew it was a close fight, I wasn’t sure which way they were going to go with the decision. I was just hoping that I got the nod because I put everything out there. Unfortunately I didn’t but I’m just going to continue to keep working hard,” Gausha said.

Two more American boxers will compete on Friday night as three-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) makes his 2012 Olympic Games debut in a flyweight contest with France’s Nordine Oubaali at 8:30 p.m. London time (3:30 p.m. ET). Welterweight Errol Spence(Desoto, Texas) will return to the ring for his second bout with India’s Krishan Vikas at 9:30 p.m. London time (4:30 p.m. ET).

Warren and Spence are the two remaining U.S. male participants while the three American women will open competition on August 5 and 6.

U.S. Results

132 lbs: Fazliddin Gaibnarzarov, UZB, dec. Jose Ramirez, Avenal, Calif./USA, 15-11

165 lbs: Vijender, IND, dec. Terrell Gausha, Cleveland, Ohio/USA, 16-15

Jose Ramirez Quotes

“I’m a little disappointed and a little emotional at the same time.”

“It’s over now and I didn’t get the victory, but I know it will open bigger doors for the future.”

“I felt like a lot of punches hit my glove before they hit me. I guess it’s the combinations. It’s true, he threw a lot of punches at the beginning. I guess my patience in the ring wasn’t as positive for me this time. He had a quicker start than me and he got the victory. I’m just blessed I got this opportunity and its time to enjoy the experience now.”

“If I had this opportunity again, I would start a lot faster. I am just very glad I got this experience. This Olympics were wonderful. It brought a lot of hope and a lot of light back to my town. It’s going to open a lot of doors and I’m pretty excited to enter them.”

“We did come as a team and we did stay strong as a team but I think today was me. I came up short myself.”

“(Knocking him out) was in my head the whole third round. I know I landed a solid punch. I knew if I was to land another one, I was going to hurt him and possibly stop him. The ref could have warned him more for holding the last round but he played it smart. One round wasn’t enough for me.”

“It’s sad that we came up short, it’s such a hungry team, a young team. I guess not much international experience, we came and I’m sure we all did our best.”

Terrell Gausha Quotes

“I give it everything. I thought I was doing good in the fight. I did everything they told me to do. I think it was working for me. I didn’t get the decision but its nothing to hold my head down about.”

“I thought I pulled the second round off, but at the end of the day I’ve still go to respect the judge’s decisions. This isn’t the end of Terrell Gausha.”

“I didn’t feel bad because I did everything I could and the world was watching so obviously they have their opinion on who won and who didn’t.”

“I just wanted to work behind the jab and get in there and mix it up. Not to take anything away from my opponent but I felt that I edged him a little.”

“After defeat, I still hold my head up. It’s unfortunate that we’ve been losing all these fights but we’ve still got people in there and we just have to stay positive.”

“Our coaches were spectacular; we trained hard. I don’t think there’s anything else we could have done. I’ll just watch the tape and see what I did wrong. There’s always room for improvement.”

“(These kind of decisions) come with the territory. This is amateur boxing. A lot of great champions lost in the amateurs so it’s nothing to hold my head down about. It happens to the best of them.”

“I’ve been watching boxing all my life. I’ve watched bad decisions like Roy Jones, etc., but it happens in the sport. You have to be ready to take the good with the bad. “

“It’s unfortunate because I wanted to lift American boxing back up, but we still have Rau’shee Warren and Errol Spence and the three ladies so I’m looking forward to seeing them win when they compete.”

“I always say I’m going to put everything into it and when I get out of the ring, I can’t say I could have done this or I could have done that so I’m going to hold my head up. I trained hard and sacrificed a lot to get here so I’m just blessed to be in this position.”

“I just want to go home and spend time with my daughter, take her to Disneyland and enjoy time with my family. This isn’t the end of me, I’m going to keep training and eventually you’ll see me back in the ring.”

“I’m going to stay here and support my team.”

“I watched a little bit of him. My coaches broke him down and watched a little bit of tape. I knew he was an Olympic bronze medalist but at the end of the day, he’s just another man getting in the ring. I was looking forward to beating him, but he got the decision.”

“He landed some shots but it’s boxing so you’re gonna get hit and you’re gonna give some. I think I was hitting him and they were going back and forth with the cheering. Obviously he’s been around the game and got a bronze medal so people are going to be cheering for him. He had a lot of supporters, I’m not mad at that.”

“The right hand is one of my weapons and I’m going to continue to use it.”

Valentino eliminates first host nation boxer‏

Day sixth of the London 2012 Olympic Games boxing competition at the ExCeL arena and there were four bouts in each of the Lightweight (60kg) and Middleweight (75kg) categories in the evening session.

The action began with 2009 AIBA World Champion Domenico Valentino of Italy against the tall British southpaw Josh Taylor in the first Lightweight (60kg) contest. With a capacity crowd there to support the local boxer, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Taylor started positively, landing with some good jabs but the experienced Italian orthodox fighter's excellent shot making skills and quick counter punching saw him connect more times to take the first round. In the second, Valentino continued with his clever game plan, drawing in the Brit before throwing quick one-twos. Taylor was however now getting more results with his selection of punches as the points were shared in the second. The eccentric Italian's movement in the third enabled him to land some clean hits and stamp his authority on the round, as he moved into the quarter-finals with a 15:10.

The Italian declared after his victory, "The fight went well for me but I did not box the way I should have. Taylor was very strong, he fought well. The crowd made it a lot harder but I knew how to handle it, having experienced it before".

Powerful Lithuanian Evaldas Petrauskas, the Youth Olympic Games Champion, put on a show of controlled aggression against sixth seed Fatih Keles of Turkey. His unrelenting style was wearing down his opponent in the first two rounds as he worked the body with a succession of crisp hooks before looking for the opening to strike with the uppercut. The 20-year-old from Lithuania seems to relish fighting taller opponents, drawing them in to fight at close quarters before looking to pierce through their defences with some vicious shots. Striking fear into his rivals, 20-year-old Petrauskas is an old fashioned brawler who gets the crowd on the edge of their seats with the sheer amount of punches he throws. Although leaving himself sometimes open to getting the counter, he continues to move forward unfazed. Keles, his latest victim, put up a good fight but was ultimately defeated 16:12. The quarter-final showdown between Petrauskas and Valentino will be a real clash of styles.

20-year-old Jose Ramirez of the USA, who had come out on top in one of the stand-out fights of the first round of preliminaries, faced experienced Uzbekistani southpaw Fazliddin Gaibnazarov in the third bout of the evening session. The intensity level and the movement of Gaibnazarov were simply exquisite as he dominated the young American in the first two rounds to go into the third with a seven point cushion. Ramirez boldly threw caution to the win and went for broke, throwing his full repertoire of shots to claim that round but it was unfortunately too late and the 21-year-old Uzbek moved into the next phase of the competition.

In the final Lightweight (60kg) contest of the evening, the draw's accomplished Belarusian second seed Vazgen Safaryants faced Soonchul Han. The tall South Korean orthodox fighter looked comfortable in the early exchanges, using his reach and throwing some stiff straight one-twos. After losing the first round, Safaryants came back strong, moving in close before looking to land with those sweet left hooks of his, the southpaw managing to claw back his two point deficit to draw level going into the final round. It was a good fight with both boxers going for it and the end result told as the scores were drawn. Impressively it was the underdog who was awarded the victory on count-back and Han will now battle Gaibnazarov for a shot at the semi-finals.

The Middleweights (75kg) then made their entrance with two-time AIBA World ChampionAbbos Atoev first up against third seeded Romanian Bogdan Juratoni. The experienced Uzbek had looked lethargic in his previous contest but with an opponent now intent on attacking him, his slick counter punching style was coming into its own as he took the first round with some accurate hooks. The 22-year-old Juratoni, a bronze medallist at last year's AIBA World Boxing Championships, was more measured in the second and caught his rival with good punches to reduce his deficit to just one point coming into the final round. Conditioning and stamina told in the latter stages as Atoev dug deep to claim a 12:10 victory.

There was a huge cheer from the crowd for the next two boxers as the USA's Terrell Gaushawent head to head with Vijender of India. The two orthodox fighters were trading jabs early in the first round before the noise levels in the arena went up when the taller Indian threw a couple of hard hooks to edge it. In the second, the 26-year-old Vijender began as the aggressor but the American stood firm and with both throwing lots of punches, the round was shared. The third was tense and both were once again evenly matched, Gausha tried hard but the Indian showed more endeavour to win it 16:15.

On the pressure he was feeling, Vijender said, "All of London is watching me and I know the whole of India is too. I know they love me and want me to do well and I love them back. I feel the pressure on me but I am used to it."

Turkey's Adem Kilicci had really impressed in his previous bout and looked to continue that form early on against Aleksandar Drenovak from Serbia as he dictated proceedings from the centre of the ring with a good variation of punches to take the first round. The 26-year-old orthodox Turk was simply irresistible in the second as he scored heavily. Drenovak played his part in a good fight but his opponent was just too good and Kilicci's excellent performance, full of verve and passion, saw him advance to the quarter-finals in style with a 20:11 victory.

Number two seed Ryota Murata of Japan began in spectacular fashion with his trademark body shot-uppercut combination putting 26-year-old Algerian Abdelmalek Rahou in some difficulty early on. After taking the first round, the tall Japanese began throwing some vicious hooks to exert his authority on Rahou, who although was being dominated gave a good account of himself. Murata showed his class to confirm his status as one of the gold medal contenders by notching up an impressive 21:12 success in his first bout of the competition. He now faces Kilicci in what promises to be an explosive encounter.

Tomorrow sees the Men's second round of preliminaries for the Flyweight (52kg) and Welterweight (69kg) categories.

Evans comes out on top in thriller‏

The seventh day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games saw the second round of preliminaries in the Men's Flyweight (52kg) and Welterweight (69kg) categories. The packed ExCeL arena once again reserved a huge reception for all the boxers during the afternoon session.

Top seed Misha Aloian, the reigning World and European Champion, made his bow in the competition as he faced tough Algerian Samir Brahimi in the first Flyweight (52kg) contest. Looking to connect first with the body shots then with those hard one-two combinations, Aloian was keen to impose himself on his opponent from the off. Brahimi was proving a difficult rival to breakdown, constantly moving, very elusive, doing everything he could to unsettle the Russian, even a spot of showboating. Aloian's superior technique though ensured he went through to the quarter-finals after winning each round to progress with an impressive 14:9 victory.

It was an intriguing contest between Juliao Henriques Neto from Brazil and Jeyvier Cintron Ocasio as the young Puerto Rican southpaw's fearless approach disturbed his experienced opponent. In the first, Cintron Ocasio used his height and reach to keep the 30-year-old orthodox Brazilian at bay before upping his work rate in the second as he threw a good variation of hooks and uppercuts to increase his advantage by two points coming into the third. The final round was intense as Henriques Neto looked to claw back his deficit but the 17-year-old Cintron Ocasio's quality counter punches ensured he took the round and moved into the last eight with a quality 18:13 triumph. He will now battle it out with Aloian with a guaranteed medal position awaiting the winner.

"I am very happy with the victory, it was tough, but now I am fighting for a medal. I know it will be extremely difficult against the Russian but I am going to give it my all", stated the young Puerto Rican after his success.

Uzbekistan's Jasurbek Latipov's speed was the real difference against Hesham Abdelaalin the session's third bout, as he pummelled him with some lightening quick combinations to take the first round in style. The Egyptian came back in the second with some shots of his own but 20-year-old Latipov cranked up the pressure to completely dominate proceedings. Quick and nimble, the Uzbek southpaw was so accurate with his shots; it was a joy to watch. Abdelaal was positive but every time he opened up to throw a punch, he was getting caught by some exquisite counters. AIBA World Championships bronze medallist Latipov looked assured and composed throughout and eased convincingly into the quarter-finals with a 21:11 win.

In the final Flyweight (52kg) contest of the afternoon session, 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallist Vincenzo Picardi from Italy began brightly against the dangerous MongolTugstsogt Nyambayar, throwing a lot of punches to his rival's body in the opening exchanges to claim the round. However after getting caught by a thunderous right hook, the Italian quickly changed tactic to adopt a more restraint approach in the second. Nyambayar had clearly rattled his opponent and turned the fight on its head as he began to exert his authority and dominate to take that round. The crowd were really enjoying this one with both neck and neck going into the third. It was a battle of wits in the final round, with lots of punches being traded in the centre of the ring. The Mongol seemed to have the better stamina as he raised the tempo and the Italian struggled to get to grips with him. In the end Nyambayar took control to book a quarter-final showdown with Latipov after edging it 17:16.

Moldova's University World Champion Vasilii Belous faced the hardest challenge of his career to date when he faced the supreme Ukrainian Taras Shelestyuk in the first of the four Welterweight (69kg) bouts of the session. The tall southpaw tried to use his jab but AIBA World Champion Shelestyuk was just too good, gliding across the canvas and planting every shot right on its target. Belous competed throughout but the class of the Ukrainian shone through as he confirmed his status as one of the gold medal favourites with a comprehensive 15:7 victory.

Shelestyuk declared after the win, "There are never any easy battles. I had to work hard and do my job. It is not easy because there are a lot of champions in the draw".

The flamboyant Alexis Vastine and Tuvshinbat Byamba from Mongolia were involved in a riveting contest with the tall 25-year-old Frenchman looking to use his reach against his fearless and plucky opponent in the early stages. The points however were shared after a tactical first round. In the second, Vastine's aggression paid off as he landed several good hooks and as his confidence grew, the swagger and the showboating began. For once however, he kept on looking for that opening and as a result scored heavily to take a three point advantage into the final round. Byamba battled hard in the latter stages to make up his deficit but European Championships silver medallist Vastine held on to record a hard-fought 13:12 win.

"At the Olympics there is a lot of pressure. Usually my boxing is more relaxed. I experienced a huge atmosphere in Beijing but the one in London is so much more and you feel like you need to perform. I think today I managed to do that". On facing Shelestyuk, "He is beatable, his simple style is what makes him so strong but it is also his weakness so I could cause him a few problems".

It was evenly matched between Australia's Cameron Hammond and Custio Clayton of Canada in the penultimate bout of the afternoon session. Both orthodox fighters had impressed in the first round of preliminaries. Clayton was conceding height and reach so kept trying to move inside and land that big overhead but Hammond was resilient, repelling those attacks with his stiff jab. After both the first two rounds were shared on points, there was all to fight for in the third. Clayton began to show his power by throwing several punishing hooks and the Canadian will have been delighted with that final round performance which saw him prevail 14:11.

Bringing the session to a close was the much anticipated showdown between European Champion Fred Evans from Great Britain and Lithuanian hard man Egidijus Kavaliauskasin a bout that lived up to its billing. In a real thriller, Evans began well by landing a left jab then a good right with the young Brit seemingly imposing himself in the first but then he got caught a couple of times and Kavaliauskas took the round. In the second, Evans tightened up those defences and a good left followed by a good one-two saw him draw level on points by taking the round. That left continued to reach its target in the third with the Brit, clearly in the ascendancy, now showboating and boxing with his hands down and landing a good right hook in the process. It was a double celebration for the British southpaw in the end, avenging his defeat by Kavaliauskas at the World Championships last year and ensuring his place in the last eight where he will now face 24-year-old Custio Clayton.

The day's evening session will have another eight bouts with the remaining Flyweights (52kg) and Welterweights (69kg) seeking to book their places for the competition's quarter-finals.

Oubaali inspired against Warren‏

The evening session of the seventh day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games saw the final eight bouts of second round of preliminaries for the Men's Flyweight (52kg) and Welterweight (69kg) categories. The atmosphere was red-hot with eight adrenaline fuelled contests lighting up the ExCeL arena.

USA Team captain and third seed Raushee Warren, now a three-time Olympian, got the Flyweight (52kg) action underway as he faced Nordine Oubaali from France. It was fast and furious straight from the off between the two electric southpaws. Trading punches throughout, these two talented boxers were not giving each other an inch. Two superb left hooks by the experienced Warren saw him edge the first round. Oubaali came back strong and went on the attack in the second. Although the American's slick counter-punches were doing damage early on, the Frenchman's jabs began penetrating his rival's defences. His hook also connected several times and Oubaali clawed his way back to go into the final round with a slender point deficit. The French fighter was extremely positive and took the initiative from then on, putting Warren on the back foot all the way through an explosive final round. Oubaali was delighted as he triumphed 19:18 in a real classic.

"I knew Warren would be a hard fight, he is a three-time Olympian. He is a counter puncher so I had to go large with my shots in order for him to always be on the back foot. It was a great strategy by my coaches. We knew the first round would probably be lost, but that if I continually applied pressure I could unsettle him, and that is what happened", beamed Oubaali after the fight.

Promising Irishman Michael Conlan, a bronze medallist at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011, showed just why he is rated so highly, putting in a real polished performance against Duke Micah from Ghana. The 20-year-old orthodox fighter from Ireland let his jabs do the talking before swiftly moving to work the body and throw several stinging uppercuts. Micah was brave but could not cope with his opponent's excellence. Conlan, seeded sixth, comfortably won each round on his way to a classy 19:8 victory to set up a quarter-final meeting with Oubaali.

Thai southpaw Chatchai Butdee began his contest with rising star Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana at breakneck speed, throwing lots of shots to try and dictate the tempo of the fight. This however was playing right into the hands of the expert counter-puncher from Cuba, who landed some great hooks in both the first and second rounds to score heavily. In the third, Ramirez Carrazana turned on the style and seemed to hit his target each time he let fly, with a couple of thunderous straight one-twos rocking the man from Thailand. It was a vintage performance by the Cuban who won 22:10 against a top opponent, sending out a real message of intent to the other pretenders in the draw.

The crowd went wild as the last two Flyweight (52kg) boxers made their big entrance. Representing Great Britain was Andrew Selby, one of the most technically gifted boxers across the ten weight categories, and in the opposite corner the savvy Kazak Ilyas Suleimonov. It was superb right from the start with some great movement and sensational footwork by both boxers making for a fight out of the very top drawer. Evenly matched in the first, Selby did enough to shade it by a point. In the second however, the Brit's unrelenting style was beginning to overawe Suleimonov. The third and final round was simply outstanding as both fighters displayed a tremendous attitude and the crowd was treated to a real boxing spectacle. Ultimately it was the supremely talented Selby who took the victory 19:15. Seeded second, the ambidextrous British boxer, who switches stance at will, now faces the impressive Ramirez Carrazana for a place in the semi-finals.

After the bout, Selby told the media, "I had sparred with him before so I was prepared. The game plan was to catch him as he charged in. I think what made the difference was that I was just a little bit faster than him. I will need to improve but it is a good start".

Krishan Vikas versus Errol Spence in the first Welterweight (69kg) contest of the evening went to appeal and the American was awarded the victory on review.

25-year-old Adam Nolan from Ireland started well against the tough RussianAndrey Zamkovoy, using good head movement to dodge his opponent's swinging hooks before unleashing some solid one-two combinations. The Russian southpaw however caught his rival twice in quick succession to edge the first round in the closing stages. Nolan continued to be bright and positive with the right hook landing on his intended target but the compact Zamkovoy's economical style was paying dividends as time and time again he breached the defences of the Irishman with some good combinations. The inexperience of Nolan told in the latter stages as the Russian now began to dominate and unload at will, the Irishman taking a standing eight count in the third. Zamkovoy is now looking like a dark horse in this draw after that resounding 18:9 victory, which sees him battle Vikas in the next stage of this enthralling competition.

South Africa's Siphiwe Lusizi versus Gabriel Maestre Perez of Venezuela was a very interesting fight with both seemingly only concerned with going forward throughout the three rounds. It made for a spectacular show with each boxer taking turns throwing punches. Lusizi, a southpaw, edged the first round with his effective jabs, but in the second Maestre Perez was inspired, connecting with a high volume of his shots as his South African opponent seemed to forget about the defensive side of the noble art. The Venezuelan applied the pressure in the third to close out the contest and win 18:13.

Welterweight (69kg) second seed from Kazakhstan Serik Sapiyev faced Japanese southpawYasuhiro Suzuki in the last bout of the day. The experienced AIBA World Championships silver medallist Sapiyev showed his class and made his experience count with some clever movement and some expert selection of punches to dominate the first two rounds with real panache. The 24-year-old from Japan was devoid of ideas against the superiority of Sapiyev and the Kazak confirmed his status as one of the favourites with this resounding 25:11 victory. He now will battle Maestre Perez with a semi-final position at stake.

Tomorrow sees the Light Flyweights (46-49kg), Light Welterweights (64kg) and Light Heavyweights (81kg) take to the ring, with 24 bouts over two sessions.

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Oubaali inspired against Warren‏